Review of Soil For My Roots

Blurb : Soil For My Roots asks: Does a cross culture society bring out the best or worst in an individual? How do we preserve our roots? Or in present times do we really need to.

The protagonist, Angela feels that her situation is similar to the money plant which is uprooted from the soil and put in a bottle. She always feels the lines between various cultures are slowly blurring.

Soil for My Roots is a novel exploring these most confounding, unanswered, yet subtle queries of our times and maps how we as people have evolved in a multi religious society.

My views : The attractive title ‘Soil for my Roots’ will nudge your mind to find the answers of the questions like What kind of root? Is it a root of a plant? Why soil? Is it the soil of earth or something else? The simple book jacket depicting the title will shove you to search the soil inside the story so as to find the answer of your questions, as had happened with me.

We need our time and the freedom to play the events of our life according to our wish. Does culture and religion should have the right to stand as an obstacle between the paths of our wishes. Why a Christian girl can’t apply ‘mehandi’ if she wants and can’t wear the jewelry according to her wish. If so then why we are supposed to make wishes and carry the happiness thinking all the time that someday our wishes will come true. The story will drive your way to the same feeling when one wants to fulfill their wishes but their religion doesn’t allow them to collect the colors of their will in the painting of their life.

The story narrates the saga of Angela and her cousin Sarah. The story whirls around Nasik and then later on Ahmedabad. It is interesting to find the traces of the prologue in the book and reader will be more glued to the book when they are about to acknowledge it. Authoress has very finely illuminated the events and places which swirls in the book and thus the description of the places seems realistic.

Authoress has gone over a fine tooth and comb to pour the events clearly and without a hint of confusion. Characterization in the book is effective and pragmatic. In one episode there are sub-episodes which are switching more often. These episodes are not well synchronized with the former one and due to this it is sometimes difficult to deal with the story in a proper manner as required. Readers will need to maintain clear images of the episodes in their mind from past to present and vice versa so that they can have a better and undimmed understanding about every passing chapter.

Sometimes events are unnecessarily stretched. The story would be proved to be more compelling if these unnecessary events were made invisible. The writing style is not easy making the reading journey slow and strenuous. The way authoress has written the story is really amiable; her written work is filled with affection and very gently pours the story.